Radio New Jerusalem

After the Order of Melchizedek A Reflection for the Church of Jesus Christ Incarcerated May 20, 2007 By Philip D. Ropp

The Gospel According to Saint John is not only the deepest and most theologically profound of the four New Testament accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, but also the most misunderstood.  While the three synoptic Gospels share much material in common, and are often treated by scholars as if they comprise three separate parts of the same whole, the Gospel of John stands alone in its format, its concept, and its vision of who our Savior is and how we are to relate to him.  The very word "synoptic" means "one vision," and we can almost envision the early church fathers assigning this work its key position as Scripture precisely because it does offer a different point of view.      Church Tradition has always credited this Gospel to John the Evangelist, the disciple and apostle of Jesus.  While scholars, by their nature, tend to question such assertions, strong internal evidence supports the claim of the author that we are reading an eyewitness account, and there is nothing to discredit the ancient tradition that this eyewitness is Saint John.  There is an intimacy and immediacy that presents the personality of Jesus from the perspective of one that not only knows him, but loves him with an adoration that exceeds his love for any mortal man.  He refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" and does so in such a way that the reader senses the awe he feels in knowing he is thought of in this way by Jesus.  And we sense this awe because no one else in all of Scripture grasps, as does John, the depth and meaning of the ultimate truth that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate.  Because John knows this as he does, and expresses this truth with a power that somehow exceeds the capability of the language that he uses, we, too, are made aware that Jesus far exceeds the limitations of his own humanity.  And so, when he appears on the shore of our earthly existence, and beckons to each of us as he did his first disciples in the 21st chapter of this Gospel, we are able to respond as did John: "It is the Lord."  And, because of who John was and the beauty and power of the words he left for us, we know that each of us can become that disciple whom Jesus loves, and through him far exceed the limitations of our own humanity.      It is the content of John's Gospel that has, over the centuries and millennia, raised the most questions.  It is more literary and symbolic than the synoptics; it does not reproduce the same stories, and the events recorded do not follow the same order.  To a far greater degree, it is more deeply developed theologically and it represents the purest expression of what has come to be called the "Johannine Tradition."  In modern times, critics have seen this Johannine Tradition as the later theology of the early church projected backward into the time of Jesus. But as scholarship advances, and the dating of all the Gospel traditions is pushed farther back into the first century and closer to the days in which Jesus actually walked the earth, it becomes more apparent to the honest scholar that this Gospel represents the deepest teachings of Jesus, as preserved by John, and projected forward into the theological development of the early church.  Saint Paul would draw heavily upon John and base his own profound theological knowledge upon this teaching.  He would, in turn, spread this knowledge throughout the known world, and in the next generation the early church fathers would begin to solidify this tradition into the universal truths that we hold to as Christians to this very day.  Therefore, it is entirely fair to say that John is the most catholic of all the Gospels.      In structure, the Gospel of John can be divided into four distinct parts. There is the familiar and magnificent prologue that proclaims Jesus the Word of God made manifest among us.  There is the Gospel narrative that tells the story of his ministry and presents the "seven signs" that define the nature of Jesus as both man and Christ.  There is the glory of the Passion that contains the farewell discourses and the crucifixion and resurrection sequences.  And, finally, there is an epilogue in which the risen Jesus appears to his disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  While it is beyond the scope of today's lesson to venture into the various theories as to the hows and whys of the construction of the Gospel, it can be noted that the work does bear a rather striking resemblance to the Greek plays of that day.  Should you surmise that these four elements of the Gospel were at some point combined into their current form for the purpose of being presented on the stage, you'll get no argument from here. In fact, if we presume that the Gospel in its current form was compiled as a commemoration to John the Apostle at his death near the end of the first century, then we propose a theory that does neatly tie together a number of historical loose ends.  But I digress.      Today's Gospel reading comes from the farewell discourses.  In fact, it is the fervent prayer of Jesus to the Father that is the climax of these discourses, and it is a most fitting place to visit as the Easter season draws to a close and we enter the brief season of Pentecost and the Solemnities. Traditionally, this 17th chapter of John has been called the "high priestly prayer" of Jesus.  In it, he presents himself as our intercessor, our high priest, as he speaks directly to the Father and allows the disciples to overhear.  It is a prayer of petition not only for those in his immediate presence, but for all that would ever be called to discipleship -- ourselves included.  Listen again to the words of Jesus:  "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word..."      After centuries and millennia of praying to our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, it has become difficult for us to grasp just how revolutionary this concept of direct spiritual communication with God through the priesthood of our Divine Savior really was at the time it was introduced.  Prior to this, it was the priests of Israel through whom communication from God was given to the people.  When this system broke down, God raised up his prophets and spoke His eternal truth to the masses through the public proclamation, "Thus sayeth the Lord..."  While it was God's intention from the beginning that all might have open and ready access to Him, a narrow-minded wickedness entered into the priesthood of Israel, killed the prophets, and hid this fact from the people.  This false priesthood taught the great lie that all human contact with the Lord was to be mediated through the Temple -- and at a price.  Now the turning over of the money changers' tables comes more sharply into focus.  Now we understand why Jesus referred to his body as the Temple, because in the act of his death and resurrection, this Temple was, indeed, torn down and was rebuilt to accommodate a new divine priesthood in which our Savior Himself mediates our direct communication with God Almighty through the power of the Holy Spirit. And because we know that this priesthood was established not only for them, but for all of us that believe and ever will believe in the word of these original apostles, we now understand why it is we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!      This theme of the high priesthood of Jesus, while established in the Gospel of John, is expounded upon in great depth as the theme of the Book of Hebrews, and I would certainly direct your attention here for further study on this subject.  However, for our purposes today, let me quote Hebrews 5 verses 8 through 10. "Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, declared by God high priest after the order of Melchizedek." Now, it is certainly a fair question to ask just who this Melchizedek was that he would have Christ as a priest within his order, and understanding this is the key to understanding the teaching presented by the author of the Book of Hebrews and Saint John as well.            In Genesis 14, Abram must rescue his nephew, Lot, from a band of marauding kings led by the infamous Chedorlaomer.  The victorious Abram is welcomed in the Valley of the King, and we read in verses 18 through 20 that: "Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words: 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.' Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."      Melchizedek is king of Salem (which would later come to be called Jerusalem) over a thousand years before the time of David. He is a priest of God Most High hundreds of years before the priesthood of Israel would be established through Aaron and his descendants in the time of Moses. The only explanation for this is that Melchizedek must have been ordained a priest directly by God Most High at a time that predates the establishment of both the nation of Israel and its priesthood. Abram (who as Abraham is the father of the nation of Israel) recognizes and submits to the priestly authority of Melchizedek by offering his tithe to him, and this legitimizes this priesthood for all of the descendants of Abraham. And so it becomes the true priesthood that both precedes and supersedes the false priesthood that offered Jesus up to the pagans to be crucified. The crucified Jesus is the Lamb of God, the once and for all, True Paschal Sacrifice and propitiation for the sins of humankind forever. Because he has offered the true sacrifice, the resurrected Christ is the true high priest, and ascends to his rightful place at the right hand of the Father for eternity.  As John teaches us, Jesus is the preexistent "Word" through whom all things were made.  He is, therefore, not only a priest after the order of Melchizedek, but the originator of the eternal priesthood that Melchizedek represents.  In the same way that he is both root and offspring of David and the True King of True Israel, he is, likewise, both root and offspring of Melchizedek and the True High Priest of True Israel.  And True Israel is all those for all time that believe and profess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is risen from the dead, and rules in heaven at the right hand of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, forever and ever, Amen!      Now we understand the depth of the conflict between the early Christians and the Jews.  Now we know why Saint Stephen was stoned to death when he related his vision of Jesus at the right hand of God.  Now we understand why these early Christians were so ardently persecuted for their faith. And, now we know why one of these persecutors named Saul, when struck blind by the powerful reality of our Savior on the road to Damascus, would have the scales fall from his eyes and proceed to take this message of God's salvation through Jesus Christ unto the ends of the earth: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."  This is the Easter message that we have been celebrating for, lo, these seven weeks now, and it is indeed the greatest cause for rejoicing that any of us shall ever know.      When we come within these walls to worship with you and share our faith together as the Lord would have us do, there is one question we hear that is both the most common and, at the same time, the most difficult to answer. That is, "How do I live a Christian life within this environment?"  The answer is that none of us can answer this for you.  But we know who can.  This high priest we serve, this priest before and after the order of Melchizedek, through what is perhaps the greatest miracle of them all, has made himself accessible to all of us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Like the old hymn says, "He walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own..."  Like the old Johnny Cash tune tells us, he is "Your own personal Jesus."  In the trenches of life, and especially when times are the toughest, keep Jesus in your heart and do what your heart tells you and you won't go wrong.  Not only will you live a Christian life within this environment, you will lead others to do the same, and lay up profound treasure in heaven. All of the twelve apostles share one thing in common with all of you:  They all did time; and to a man they would, I'm sure, tell you that Jesus was with them every step of the way.  As we heard in the Gospel today, Jesus was praying to the Father for you nearly two thousand years before you were born.  Remember always what your brother John has taught you:  That you are that disciple whom Jesus loves, and through him you will far exceed the limits of your own humanity.

May 20, 2007

Seventh Sunday of Easter Ascension of the Lord Seventh Sunday of Easter Psalm: Sunday 19 Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Reading 2 Gospel Reading 1 Acts 7:55-60 Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them;” and when he said this, he fell asleep. Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 R. (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. R. The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. All gods are prostrate before him. R. The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. You, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods. R. The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth. or: R. Alleluia. Reading II Rev 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 I, John, heard a voice saying to me: “Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates. “I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say, “Come.” Let the one who thirsts come forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water. The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Gospel Jn 17:20-26 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”